During atrial fibrillation (AF) the two small upper chambers of the heart, the atria, quiver instead of beating effectively. AF often results in fast and irregular heartbeat, weakness of heart function, a high incidence of thromboembolic events, leading to stroke, and hemodynamic compromise. AF can also lead to tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.
One approach to treating AF uses radio-frequency catheter ablation to create lesions in a heart in an attempt to prevent AF and/or to control ventricular rate. A drawback to radio-frequency catheter ablation is that heat generated during the procedure may lead to excessive fibrosis of cardiac tissue or the pulmonary veins and/or to the formation of stroke-causing blood clots.
A need, therefore, exists for additional approaches to treating arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation and other debilitating cardiac rhythms.